Pattymac

Drove from Monterosso to Pisa today and met up with Juniordrums. Had a quick bite and got some pictures in front of the leaning tower. The nice people at the Eni filling station nearby let us park for a few euro and gave the car a badly needed hand wash for 10 euro.
Then all of us (in 2 Porsche's) headed to Siena. Juniordrums was supplied a Tomtom GPS and I was supplied with a Garmin. The 2 units differed quite a bit on the route selection. We decided that the Garmin took the more scenic route while the Tomtom was more time focused. It could be how they are configured but it was interesting nonetheless. My advice is to plan your route a little more carefully so you can be sure you're going the way you want. Also, the Garmin seemed like it was taking us on some VERY small roads heading out of Monterosso (like we would have to pull over if an ant were on the road). We drove on some amazing roads and saw some beautiful scenery on the way to Siena.




The four of us finished out the day by taking an Italian Cooking class - had a great time. Heading down to Positano tomorrow.

Pattymac

Tonight we're staying just outside of Siena in the Castello delle Quattro Torra, a 13th century castle that is really cool. If you ever wanted to stay in a castle in Tuscany, you should check this place out.



Parking at Castello delle Quattro Torra

917k

Very nice photos of the Toscana hills; Chianti is great driving country. I assume you have been into Siena already; but better to park and walk as parking can be nightmarish once you get into the city.

Amalfi has some tight sections; I recall squeezing past some buses - but maybe widened since then. It is very scenic

Pattymac

Drove from Siena to Positano today. Nice drive with top down most of the way. Took the Autostrada and bypassed Rome. The food/gas stops on the Autostrada are quite good.
Made our way to Positano on the Amalfi Coast road. This road is an experience but as you may have read, not for the feint of heart. Motorcycles passing everywhere at crazy speeds, busses taking up the entire road, pedestrians walking in the traffic lane (no sidewalks), etc. there is very little parking and very few places to turn your car around. I'm shocked that we didn't see an accident.

Observations on this leg of the trip:
Italian drivers are very polite on the Autostrada and follow excellent lane discipline.
Speed limits below Siena are more strictly enforced and there are many camera stations. Pay attention to the GPS warnings.
Drivers here will pull over at any safe spot to pee.
The front of my Porsche was covered in dead bugs after the drive today.

Pattymac

Picking up where I left off - wifi at the place we stayed in Positano was slowww. Stayed there 4 days and headed up to Modena to pay respect to some other brands. We drove the entire Amalfi Coast road and visited Paestum - worth the trip but boy that trip was stressful in a new Porsche. I was happy to get the car back on the Autostrada.
44 Euro in tolls later and we were in Modena - absolutely beautiful city. Excellent restaurants (including a Michelin 3 star that we couldn't get a table to). Ate at Da Enzo, which was excellent, not expensive and specializes in local cuisine. Tried to visit Aldina but they were only open for lunch.
Today I visited the museums of Ferrari (both of them) and Lamborghini. I tried to get a Pagani factory tour but they were booked. The museums are nice - Ferrari's is much larger. Both had a lot of very nice historical cars. Ferrari was particularly informative as well.
Between museums, I took a drive from Maranello to a little town named Serramazzoni along a curvy road called SP3. Great drive through some very scenic towns. Very worthwhile 45 minute detour.
Heading to Como next.




On the Amalfi Coast Road.





South of Maranello on SP3.

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Some great driving areas

I take an xcom global mifi to get around hotels w/ wifi issues.

The Italian exotics' homes are on my bucket list. Not this trip.

Pattymac

We finished up the trip on Sunday with a drive from Lake Como to Stuttgart to return the car. Horrible traffic due to a holiday kept our speeds way down unfortunately.
Since we did an after-hours return, we had to drop off in Sindelfingen at a shipping company arranged by Porsche. The return was easy. We got all of the gear from the car (safety equipment and front plate) and brought back with us. We are in Atlanta so hopefully the wait won't be too long.
We stayed at a small, family owned hotel within walking distance of the drop off - Hotel Bohler. The next morning we headed for the airport. When we called for the taxi, I made sure to verify that they would accept the Porsche taxi voucher. Unless you're leaving from the Porsche factory in Stuttgart, make sure to check before you get in the taxi - they do not all accept the voucher.

Trip Summary - amazing. If you have the opportunity to do an ED, do it.